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Lavisky drafted by hometown Indians

Lavisky drafted by hometown Indians

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By John Barone
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MLB.com |

CLEVELAND -- Alex Lavisky already had a state championship and verbal commitment to Georgia Tech to brag about. Now he can add being drafted by the hometown Indians to his impressive list of baseball accomplishments.

The Tribe took the catcher from nearby St. Edward High School in the eighth round of the First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday afternoon, making him the 240th overall selection.

A lifelong Indians fan, Lavisky couldn't have scripted a more favorable Draft Day outcome.

"I've been watching the Tribe and going to their games since ... shoot, I was born in '91," Lavisky said. "I grew up in the west side of Cleveland over by St. Ed's Parish. I'm a hometown kid. I grew up watching the Tribe and going down to the ballpark with my family and friends.

"This couldn't have worked out any better. This is exactly how I wanted it to turn out. I'm very happy."

"My family and I are tremendously excited for this opportunity," Lavisky said. "We're just going to run with it and see how things turn out in the near future."

Grant conveyed a similar tune.

"We'll see how the process plays out over the summer," he said. "I'm not going to comment on specifics of any negotiations."

Asked if he would prefer playing collegiately or in the Tribe's farm system in the not-so-distant future, Lavisky hardly ruled out the latter.

"We're going to see what the Indians are thinking," said Lavisky, who has not officially hired an agent. "If they're on the same page as us, then we'll have no problem signing. Over the summer, we're definitely going to try to find middle ground and see where the Indians are coming from. They know where I'm coming from, but they're still going to want to know what we're thinking. There's going to be some negotiating that goes on over the summer, as far as signability.

"At this point, though, there's really no preference."

Either way, Lavisky will be basking in the glory of playing the game he cherishes, a trait Grant greatly admires.

"He's a baseball rat," Grant said. "He's out there all the time. That's his life. He just loves baseball. It shows in how he plays."

Lavisky hit .450 (36-for-80) with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs in his senior season, teaming up with touted right-hander Stetson Allie to lead St. Edward's to its second OHSAA Division I state championship in three years.

"We're just happy to have an opportunity to draft Alex," Grant said. "It's nice taking a local kid. Any time you have the opportunity to do that, you're always excited about it.

"He's a kid who we've seen since his junior year of high school. He's a right-handed-hitting catcher with a power bat, and obviously, the ability to catch. He caught Stetson Allie all year and had no problems catching him.

"Alex is a very, very good kid. He's a leader on the field and has an excellent, mature presence on the field at the same time."

Should he sign with the Tribe, Lavisky hopes to converse with another power-hitting backstop.

"Carlos Santana," Lavisky said. "I know he's not on the Tribe yet, but just him being a catcher and all the awesome things you hear about him and his ability as a player, I think I would like to meet him."

Regardless of what his future holds, Lavisky can always lay claim to this special time in his life, a period that's allowed him to appreciate his success.

"Not many kids get to go to St. Ed's and come away with two Division I state championships, so that in itself is an accomplishment," Lavisky said. "And now, when it comes to being in the Draft and getting selected in the Draft, that's another great achievement.

"All the recent success I've had in high school comes from hard work," Lavisky said. "I think it just goes to show how hard I have worked so far in my career."

John Barone is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.